Cleaning Cast Iron
What do you think about this cleaning tip to clean your cast iron with some dish detergent applied with a cut potato?
–Joe
I couldn’t disagree more.
There’s no way I would ever expose my cast iron to dish detergent. The entire function of detergent is to break down oil—and oil is exactly what you need to build up a good seasoning on your cast iron.
Instead, I recommend scrubbing it clean with a stiff-bristled brush that is dedicated to the purpose of cast iron (ie not used on any other dishes) and drying immediately with a rag or a paper towel. When your cast iron is young, it may be advisable to rub it with a thin layer of oil before putting it away, but once it has blackened nicely, so long as you dry it well before putting it away and don’t expose it to dish detergent and don’t leave it sitting around for two days with crud in it because you just don’t feel like doing the dishes, it ought to do just fine.
If you would like to clean it with something other than a stiff bristled brush and hot water, heat up a good layer of kosher salt in the bottom of it and then use a rag gripped with tongs to scrub the pan with the hot salt. The abrasive action of the salt will get every last bit of anything stuck in the bottom of the pan without harming the pan’s seasoning. Just be certain not to throw the hot salt into the trash can immediately!! The salt will be hot enough to start a trash fire until it cools down. Instead, pour the salt off into a metal container to hold it until it cools, at which point you may safely dispose of it.
May 19th, 2008 at 11:11 am
this is against all advice ever about cast iron…but my experience has been very different. I’ve always used cast iron, my mom has always used cast iron, my grandmother…and so on.
I have a few newer pans, but most of them are older. Once they’re seasoned well I’ll wash the heck out of them with whatever I want. The only thing I DON’T do is put them in the dishwasher.
Once in awhile they’ll develop some wear and start to show rust spots…just pull out the oil and throw it in the oven, good as new.
My pans have been used for 40+ years that way, and I wouldn’t trade them for all the non-stick in the world. But I just laugh when I hear people talking about cleaning them. It’s freaking cast iron…what’s the worst thing you could do to it? Seriously.
The only bad thing you can do to it is drop it on your foot.
May 19th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
The rust spots likely develop because the detergent wears holes through the seasoning. Instead of having to worry about making sure to correct the spots as they develop, I find it much easier to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place.
All physical residue is removed by cleaning it with the brush, and germophobes can take comfort in knowing that the pan is heated hot before it’s next used….
May 20th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I agree with Jesse,
This is exactly how I clean my cast iron also. I use a stiff brush and hot water, and I find that if the pan is still warm/hot (they retain heat for quite a while after the meal), then it cleans even better.
If food seems to be sticking a little, I will apply a light coating of oil (or lard) after washing.
I have had the occasion where it has sat around for a day or two because I didn’t feel like doing the dishes, and what I usually do is heat it back up for a little while before washing, and that seems to help.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:59 am
In the “reduce, re-use” category: my favorite thing for cleaning cast iron is a plastic-mesh onion bag.
June 21st, 2008 at 3:20 pm
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